And For the First Number In Their Act
by SincerelyPinkPanties
Summary: How episode 4, The Wrath of Con, in Season 1 should have ended. "T" for skinny dipping and booze.
1. Chapter 1

**Title: And For the First Number in Their Act….  
Summary: How episode 4, The Wrath of Con, in Season 1 should have ended. Skinny dipping and booze.  
Word Count: 718 words  
****Disclaimer: No (p)own-age. Lolz. Okay. Only funny if you remember the episode really well…  
****A/N: First VMfic. I'm not sure about sequel-y things yet. I've got a vague idea of where I maybe, kinda, probably wanna (but shouldn't , because I have enough on my plate as it is) go with this. But we'll see. Enjoy. :D**

When Veronica requests the limo stop on the beach and jumps out despite the strange looks her date and her friend & his date are giving her, the only thing she has on her mind is jumping in that water without a stitch on, with Lilly's memory floating beside her in the cold, ocean water.

She nearly trips over her own feet when she spots Logan and Duncan sitting on a blanket with a bottle of champagne between them, not touching it. They look anticipatory - almost as if they are expecting her.

They turn at the half-choked sob that she doesn't quite manage to catch. They both stare at her motionless for several seconds and then as if they had talked about it telepathically, they both motion for her to join them.

Veronica is breathless as she makes the universal gesture for "wait one minute" and runs as fast as she can back to the idling limo (she isn't quite sure if they'll be there when she gets back if she doesn't go fast enough).

"You guys go on without me," she tells them.

Her date is eyeing her a little angrily and she doesn't blame him.

"Logan and Duncan" she mouths into Wallace's ear and he gives her that "look". The one her dad gives her when he thinks she's getting in over her head.

Veronica's eyes plead with him to understand and he does, though he still looks slightly confused. He doesn't know the whole story, but he knew they had all been _beyond_ close before -

He nods and she hugs him before flying back out of the limo and running down to the blanket and the champagne and Logan and Duncan. It hasn't all disappeared and she allows herself a gulp of salt-tangy sea-air.

Logan moves the bottle of champagne and she sits between them.

After several minutes, Duncan puts his arm around her and Logan lies on his back with his head in Veronica's lap. She slides one hand around Duncan's back, gripping his t-shirt tightly and cards the other hand through Logan's hair.

They drink the warm champagne and play a game of "Remember when...."

It peters off as Logan says, "Remember when the world was ours and we owned this beach and Lilly looked better than Marilyn Monroe in _that_ dress?"

They are silent for a time.

"I've still never skinny dipped," Veronica volunteers and grins at no one in particular.

Logan's answering smile is positively wicked and Duncan's a little shy.

When Logan climbs out of her lap and pulls her up with him, then reaches a hand down to help Duncan up, before stripping as he walks towards the water, Veronica doesn't question.

Instead she turns around and her smile dares a wavering Duncan to join them, as she pulls the zipper of her red satin dress down, walking backwards, towards the ocean, towards Logan (who is already naked, she notices from the corner of her eye).

Veronica's dress drops to the ground and she turns and runs toward the water, dropping her underwear behind her as she goes.

She jumps into the water with a giggle and a loud crash and can see Duncan on the shore struggling with his sweater.

Logan shouts teasing encouragements and Veronica can't help but giggle until she can barely breath.

This isn't how she pictured this night, but somehow she thinks it wouldn't matter what she had planned. Somehow the universe would have found a way for them to all be together tonight. Somehow. Because this right here, this is meant to be. They are all each other has left - the only people who _know._ It's pieces of a puzzle connecting again and some of the pieces, part of the picture is still missing, but Veronica thinks it will be okay, because they don't ever want to forget their missing pieces.

Duncan, finally having managed his clothes, is jumping in. Logan tugs on Veronica's hand that she hadn't even noticed he was holding, and she grabs for Duncan's and they float out a ways.

Silently imagining Lilly there with them.

It isn't suddenly going to fix every thing. They know this. But it's a start.

And somewhere, Veronica knows, Lilly is laughing. Because this is absurd and perfect and _fabulous_.

**A/N Deux: Leave some love, plz. :D**


	2. Chapter 2

**Title: Breakfast With A Side of Sarcasm and Unspoken Threats  
Summary: In which Veronica's chariot awaits, her Prince Charmings aren't really _that_ charming, and the King issues non-verbal warnings.  
Word Count: 779 words  
Disclaimer: The knowledge of my non-owning leaves me cold and bereft.  
A/N: Here is the second part as promised. Sorry it took me a while.**

On Monday when Veronica answers a knock at the door, she is only a little surprised to find Logan leaning against the door frame grinning and Duncan leaning against the railing across from the door smiling.

"Your pumpkin coach and Prince Charmings are here to sweep you off to Neptune High School," Logan says in that cocky tone that, until recently, grated on her nerves.

"Am I supposed to be Cinderella? Because I think I left my ball gown in my other mansion," she snarks back.

"You'll come to school with us, though?" Duncan asks.

"Of course she will," Logan says. "We'll walk in that building together and if anyone gives us shit, Duncan here can have one of his attacks and when I punch the other guys face into next week I can say I was defending the poor, defenseless epileptic boy." He's smirking like a maniac.

Duncan laughs and so Veronica supposes it okay for her to let go of her giggle. "Come in. I just have to finish a couple things and then we'll go," she says and lets them in. "And just so you know," she says in her informative voice, "I won't be riding in the back of that yellow monstrosity, so you two are gonna have to duke it out for the other front seat." She leaves them with a wide grin and saunters back into her bedroom.

The water is still going so she knows her father is still in the shower. Luckily he's not one of those fathers who run around the house in nothing but boxers. She thinks about giving her dad a warning, but decides against it, in favor of the fun surprise.

The water is still running when she finishes the touch ups on a picture she took for her dad.

When she comes back out into the living room, she finds the boys sprawled out on the couch half asleep - they must not have noticed the sound of the shower - with Backup at their feet. She smiles to herself as she begins to make pancakes (enough for four people - she knows the boys haven't eaten breakfast this morning).

She is delighted when the shower turns off and both boys sit up straight and look around.

"The Sheriff's still here?" Logan says, looking like he's seriously thinking of jumping out the window over the sink.

Duncan doesn't look much better. "You couldn't have told us?" he complains.

Veronica just smiles and pours four glasses of orange juice.

Her father comes out ten minutes later fully dressed and just stares at the boys on the couch for a second. She'd told him about the beach meeting and the drinking of the champagne and even about the skinny-dipping part. He wasn't jumping up and down happy about it, but seemed to be happy that Veronica was happier. "No funny business," he says and picks up his plate of pancakes from the counter. "Gotta run, sweetie. Thanks for the pancakes." He smiles and kisses her cheek, heading for the door.

"Nobody says "funny business" anymore," Veronica informs her father as he tries to maneuver the door open and not drop his plate of pancakes or his briefcase, at the same time. "It's "hanky panky" now."

"Ha ha," he deadpans as he gets the door open. "No hanky panky, then," he warns and sends a not-quite-friendly smile at Logan and Duncan before the door shuts behind him.

Veronica smiles after him. Setting a pile of pancakes and a glass of orange juice before each boy, she says, "Have you decided amongst yourselves who's going to be sitting in the back?" Smiling sweetly, she sits down between them with her own plate of food.

Logan laughs and swallows a mouthful of food. "Neither. We're taking a limo," he says and smiles just as sweetly back at her.

"Okay, I know your joking, because otherwise I'd have to kill you and that would be majorly counterproductive to all that time I just spent making you pancakes," she warns.

Logan smirks. "I'm joking. Mostly because I like the way my organs and body parts are all arranged and, you know, not scattered all over in the ocean," he responds.

"Psh," Veronica says with fake-offense. "Like I'd be stupid enough to leave any whole body parts. You'd be straight up ashes buddy. Kept in a small jar on my desk so I can tell everyone I have the body of a boy…in jar on my desk."

Duncan and Logan both laugh at that.

"We thought we'd take the Le Baron," Duncan tells her. "I'll sit in the back."

Veronica nods. "Sounds like a plan."


End file.
